World Refugee Day 2018

On June 20, the United Nations recognizes World Refugee Day to raise awareness about the the ongoing crises and ask that people do anything they can to help those in need. As people around the world continue to flee their homes in search of shelter, opportunity, and hope, it is important that we stay informed and show our support.

2017 saw a rapid increase of refugees. By the middle of the year, the number of people under the UNHCR’s mandate surpassed the 18 million mark for the first time, with 18.5 million. At the end of the year, 71.4 million people were “of concern to the UNHCR” including asylum-seekers, refugees, returnees, the internally displaced, and stateless. Multiple countries are in states of emergency and have been facing ongoing crises for many years.

As of April 30, 2018, 21 million people have been internally displaced in Iraq, a country plagued with violence and consists of little to no human rights. After an outbreak of violence in 2017, the situation in Rohingya became “the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis” with over half a million people working to escape Myanmar. 2018 marks the fifth year of the crisis in Nigeria in which the Boko Haram group has left 2.2 million displaced in the Lake Chad Basin.

Already one of the poorest countries in the world, the Central African Republic in 2017 has seen the most refugees since the beginning of the crisis, a 60% increase from the previous year. In Yemen, 22.2 million are “in need of humanitarian assistance.” Many are struggling to find safety but with no real alternatives, one million displaced have already tried to return to their homes even though they are not safe.

Although the situations continued to worsen, the United States did not adjust its policies. According to records from the Department of State, from January to December 2016, the U.S. admitted 96,874 refugees, 15,479 of which were Syrian. From January to December 2017, 33,368 refugees were admitted, and 3,024 were Syrian. So far in 2018, only 9,008 refugees have been admitted, and as little as 13 of them were Syrian.

For the refugees admitted to host countries, it is still a daily struggle and fight for life. In Jordan, one of the top hosting countries, more than 655,000 refugees are “trapped in exile,” and 93% are living below the poverty line. Those who survive the journey across the Mediterranean to reach Europe face hostility and abuse, and sometimes are even forced back across the borders.